The Marvels 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release date is February 13th, 2024. You can buy The Marvels on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray at Amazon.
The Marvels holds the dubious distinction of being the lowest-grossing MCU movie to-date followings its theatrical release. But is that reality truly indicative of the film’s quality? This depends on how open you are to silly fun and how familiar you are with select Disney+ and MCU films serving as prequels to this female-led intergalactic adventure. And I suspect more folks will give The Marvels a shot on either Disney+ or home video, including 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, than its poor theatrical turnout.
Those who didn’t see The Marvels at their local cinema missed out on quite a bit of unashamed fun led by Kamala Kahn (Iman Vellani) aka Ms. Marvel. You might think “who?” in Korath the Pursuer’s voice if you haven’t streamed the Ms. Marvel Disney+ series, but rest assured she’s very charismatic and sees the MCU through the eyes of its viewers; fangirl screams included.
Kamala and her amazingly adorable Pakistani-American family, responsible for many of the film’s best laughs, find themselves entangled with Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), with a decent amount of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and his signature quips fretting about. Remember Monica, from Captain Marvel and WandaVision? She’s back and all powered up. Anyway, these three cosmically-charged ladies become literally interconnected following an event where they physically switch spots by using their powers. Elsewhere the formidable Kree’s latest power hungry leader Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton) is up to no good and must be stopped. Remember the Kree? They’ve popped up here and there before, and step into The Marvels’ main antagonist role.
The big three’s performances in The Marvels are all spot-on for their superhero characters. But they’re also letdown by a choppy flow that struggles to find a good rhythm, despite the continual fun its cast has physically swapping their character’s positions throughout.
Where rhythm does arrive in abundance is the planet Aladna where its citizens communicate solely through song sometimes accompanied by dance. Perhaps this brand of Bollywood-riffed silliness is best left for the Guardians of the Galaxy as it’s pretty out there considering the greater looming Kree threats. And I’m still wondering what that civilization’s fate became as it was disappointingly never addressed following a seemingly catastrophic invasion for reasons.
But fear not about the uneven storytelling because every time Kamala’s mother, father and brother end up back in the plot there are smiles to be had. The greatest plot trick of all was maximizing their screen time from beginning to end.
In 4K The Marvels is devoid of Dolby Vision HDR, which is a shame. However, it still looks pretty solid whether on Earth, in space, or on a colorful singing planet. Nothing jumps out like a hungry alien cat as a cause for concern. That little extra pop from Dolby Vision would have been appreciated, but even without it this is a near perfect presentation.
The audio side offers a Dolby Atmos track that like the plot seems to meander through highs and lows. Numerous action scenes engage the audio, but other quieter moments are a little too quiet. That could be by design, though. I would have preferred a little bit more ambiance.
Bonus features are punctuated by four Deleted Scenes seemingly cut to push the pace a little. The featurettes are short and standard fare, while the audio commentary is a great listen if you’re into the “how” more than the “why.”
Featurettes
- Entangled – Take a cosmic trip behind the scenes on The Marvelswith the cast and crew of the film. Learn how director Nia DaCosta and the team took on such a vast production, and dive deeper with more details about Marvel’s first ever musical number.
- The Production Diaries – Experience the lively, upbeat set of The Marvels as cast and crew recall candid and heartwarming moments, along with hilarious anecdotes.
Deleted Scenes
- Captain-in-Residence – Kamala finds herself in Carol’s ship after an unexpected switch and incredulously picks up a call from Valkyrie.
- It’s Under Control – Carol, Kamala, and Monica find themselves brainstorming for solutions on Aladna.
- Space Yoga – Muneeba teaches yoga while an exasperated Nick Fury looks on.
- The Chase – Chaos ensues as Ty-Rone chases Kamala in a tension-filled scene.
Gag Reel
- Watch some hilarious outtakes on set with the cast and crew of The Marvels.
Audio Commentary
- Listen to co-writer/director Nia DaCosta and VFX Supervisor Tara DeMarco talk about the film.
I cannot reiterate enough that The Marvels is unabashedly fun, even if it requires having seen multiple Disney+ and MCU films preceding it to fully grasp where each main character’s journey is coming from. It has pace, plot, and sometimes too silly problems, sure, but when it’s working there’s little to dislike.
Was The Marvels story really necessary within the grand MCU scheme? Probably not, but maybe the tantalizing post-credits sequence is. Otherwise it’s more of a pitstop on a long superhero road trip to stretch your legs, crack a soda and take a load off. A solid video presentation, decent audio and respectable extras make for a decent MCU 4K UHD entry. Here’s hoping a return to exemplary entries from MCU’s past heights will work their way back into the pipeline.
